Droplet ejection head driving method, droplet ejection head and droplet ejection device

Abstract

A driving method for a droplet ejection head which is plurally equipped with an ejector, which includes a nozzle and an actuator for ejecting droplets. The driving method includes preparing plural driving waveforms that correspond to variations between respectively differing ejection characteristics of the ejectors, and systematically or arbitrarily applying the plural of driving waveforms to the actuators as driving signals. Accordingly, when a driving waveform which is suited to an ejection characteristic of the head is applied, a normal ejection can be performed. In contrast, when a driving waveform which is not suited to the ejection characteristic of the head is applied, an ejection state is not optimal. However, the driving waveform suited to the ejection characteristic is applied immediately thereafter. The driving waveform not suited to the ejection characteristic is applied to the ejector systematically or arbitrarily, and is not applied continuously.

1 . A driving method for a droplet ejection head which is plurally equipped with an ejector, which includes a nozzle and an actuator for ejecting droplets, the driving method comprising: 
 preparing a plurality of driving waveforms that correspond to respectively differing ejection characteristics of the ejectors; and    at least one of systematically and arbitrarily applying the plurality of driving waveforms to the actuators as driving signals.    
   
   
       2 . The droplet ejection head driving method of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of driving waveforms includes a driving waveform corresponding to an ejection characteristic with a standard value of the ejectors.  
   
   
       3 . The droplet ejection head driving method of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of driving waveforms includes a driving waveform which is one of stretched or compressed in a voltage direction relative to a driving waveform corresponding to an ejection characteristic with a standard value of the ejectors.  
   
   
       4 . The droplet ejection head driving method of  claim 3 , wherein the plurality of driving waveforms includes a driving waveform which is one of stretched or compressed in a time-axis direction relative to the driving waveform corresponding to the ejection characteristic with the standard value of the ejectors.  
   
   
       5 . The droplet ejection head driving method of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of driving waveforms includes a driving waveform of which a reverberation suppression portion, for suppressing reverberation, is altered relative to a driving waveform corresponding to an ejection characteristic with a standard value of the ejectors.  
   
   
       6 . The droplet ejection head driving method of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of driving waveforms are generated by respectively separate waveform generation circuits, and the driving waveforms to be applied are switched by switching operations of the waveform generation circuits.  
   
   
       7 . The droplet ejection head driving method of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of driving waveforms are generated in a time series by a single waveform generation circuit, and the driving waveforms to be applied are switched by time division operations of the waveform generation circuit.  
   
   
       8 . The droplet ejection head driving method of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of driving waveforms are respectively prepared for respective driving signals for ejecting droplets with different droplet volumes.  
   
   
       9 . The droplet ejection head driving method of  claim 1 , wherein the actuator comprises a piezoelectric element.  
   
   
       10 . A droplet ejection head comprising: 
 a plurality of ejectors, each ejector including: 
 a pressure chamber into which liquid is loaded;  
 a nozzle in fluid communication with the pressure chamber;  
 an actuator that when a driving signal is applied, causes the liquid loaded at the pressure chamber to be ejected from the nozzle as a droplet; and  
 a driving circuit that applies the driving signal to the actuator, wherein the driving circuit  
 prepares a plurality of driving waveforms that correspond to respectively differing ejection characteristics of the ejectors, and  
 at least one of systematically and arbitrarily applies the plurality of driving waveforms to the actuator as the driving signal.  
   
   
   
       11 . The droplet ejection head of  claim 10 , wherein the plurality of driving waveforms includes a driving waveform corresponding to an ejection characteristic with a standard value of the ejectors.  
   
   
       12 . The droplet ejection head of  claim 10 , wherein the plurality of driving waveforms includes a driving waveform whose form is altered, relative to a driving waveform corresponding to an ejection characteristic with a standard value of the ejectors, in accordance with ejection differences of the ejectors.  
   
   
       13 . The droplet ejection head of  claim 12 , wherein the altered driving waveform includes at least one of a form which is one of stretched or compressed in a voltage direction, a form which is one of stretched or compressed in a time-axis direction and a form of which a reverberation suppression portion is altered, respectively relative to the driving waveform corresponding to the ejection characteristic with the standard value of the ejectors.  
   
   
       14 . The droplet ejection head of  claim 10 , wherein the driving circuit includes a plurality of waveform generation circuits, which generate the plurality of driving waveforms respectively separately, and the driving waveforms to be applied are switched by switching operations of the driving circuit.  
   
   
       15 . The droplet ejection head of  claim 10 , wherein the driving circuit includes a single waveform generation circuit, the single waveform generation circuit generates the plurality of driving waveforms in a time series, and the driving waveforms to be applied are switched by time division operations of the driving circuit.  
   
   
       16 . The droplet ejection head of  claim 10 , wherein the actuator comprises a piezoelectric element.  
   
   
       17 . A droplet ejection device comprising: 
 a droplet ejection head that includes a plurality of ejectors, each ejector including: 
 a pressure chamber into which liquid is loaded;  
 a nozzle in fluid communication with the pressure chamber;  
 an actuator that when a driving signal is applied, causes the liquid loaded at the pressure chamber to be ejected from the nozzle as a droplet; and  
 a driving circuit that applies the driving signal to the actuator, wherein the driving circuit  
 prepares a plurality of driving waveforms that correspond to respectively differing ejection characteristics of the ejectors, and  
 at least one of systematically and arbitrarily applies the plurality of driving waveforms to the actuator as the driving signal.  
   
   
   
       18 . The droplet ejection device of  claim 17 , wherein the driving circuit includes a plurality of waveform generation circuits, which generate the plurality of driving waveforms respectively separately, and the driving waveforms to be applied are switched by switching operations of the driving circuit.  
   
   
       19 . The droplet ejection device of  claim 17 , wherein the driving circuit includes a single waveform generation circuit, the single waveform generation circuit generates the plurality of driving waveforms in a time series, and the driving waveforms to be applied are switched by time division operations of the driving circuit.  
   
   
       20 . The droplet ejection device of  claim 17 , wherein the droplet ejection device comprises an inkjet recording device which ejects ink onto a recording medium for implementing recording of an image, and the inkjet recording device includes: 
 a carriage, at which the droplet ejection head is loaded;    a main scanning mechanism, for scanning the carriage in a main scanning direction; and    a sub-scanning mechanism, for conveying the recording medium in a sub-scanning direction.